Coelophysis
''Coelophysis ''is a 3-meter long dinosaurian predator that probably hunted in packs. It lived in North America during the Triassic period. Facts As one of the first dinosaurs to appear on Earth, it was more advanced than the previous dinosaur species such as Staurikosaurus and Daemonosaurus and it probably had out-competed them, causing them to die-out. The planet's very first dinosaurs, Coelophysis are a type of small meat eating dinosaur that has evolved to thrive in drought and can survive on very little water. They are also light boned, fast, and they are beautifully adapted for killing. They first appeared around 225 million years ago. But what make them unique are special hips and ankles that allow them to stand perfectly balanced on two legs. With lightning fast reactions, they are built to survive. To these swift predators, Placerias are prey. It is their speed and agility that gives them the edge in the Triassic. When their numbers are on the increase, this leads to confrontations. )]] ''Coelophysis ''was built to be slender, agile with long neck and tail, perfect for searching scorpions, lizards and other small animals that may be hiding under rocks, in holes, or on trees. It lived in very large colonies, even though it was small to hunt big prey, its descendants ruled the Earth for very long time, and produced great variety of dinosaurs, from the strange ''Microraptor to the gigantic Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus. Appearances in the programmes ''Walking with Dinosaurs New Blood Two ''Coelophysis were seen running through a desert during a drought. A female was later seen at a river fishing for lungfish. She managed to kill one but before she could eat it, a Placerias scared her off. The female Coelophysis was then seen standing by a herd of Placerias waiting for old and sick individuals to lose the herd. She confronted an old Placerias but her presence was not tolerated. )]]Two ''Coelophysis were seen investigating a cynodont burrow. However, the cynodonts inside scared off the inquisitive pair. When the male cynodont left the burrow to hunt, the female Coelophysis killed one of his pups. The Coelophysis is then seen digging up the cynodont burrow. During the night, the cynodonts escaped. In the morning, the Coelophysis continued digging it up but its took them a while to realize that their work was in vein. During a drought, the female Coelophysis was seen digging up a lungfish in a protective cocoon. However, before she could eat it, several other Coelophysis appeared and challenged her for the carcass. They screeched at each other and one of them won the lungfish. As the population of Coelophysis had become higher, they had untied to form flocks. A flock was seen harassing a dying female Postosuchus. When the Postosuchus eventually died, the flock dined on the colossal corpse. The flock was seen staying at the shrunken river. With the rarity of food and water, the starving animals had resorted to cannibalism. The flock then moved on to find more food and water. During the night, a male cynodont was seen killing a young Coelophysis before returning to his burrow. )]] During the late-arriving wet season, the female ''Coelophysis was seen drinking from a waterfall but as a large herd of Plateosaurus arrived, she retreated. ''Sea Monsters Two Coelophysis appeared in the first episode. They were seen on a beach. One ran past Nigel Marven. Appearances in the books Walking With Dinosaurs New Blood A male ''Coelophysis first appeared stalking a lungfish which was finishing off a crayfish. After careful observation, the Coelophysis struck the lungfish and threw it out the water. The dinosaur then pinned the lungfish down and dismembered it. Within five minutes, he finished his meal and then headed off to find shade. Later, two Coelophysis discovered a burrow containing two Thrinaxodon. The larger of the two peered into the burrow but was alarmed when a male Thrinaxodon emerged. The Coelophysis barked as he tumbled down the bank away from the angry parent. Knowing the Thrinaxodon is too big a meal, the Coelophysis trotted away and stopped at 50 metres to watch. The male Thrinaxodon then returned to his agitated family. The Coelophysis then left. During the night, as the Thrinaxodon parents left to hunt, the Coelophysis attacked and killed a pup that clambered out its burrow after its father. The father heard his pup's squeals of pain and returned to the burrow but he was too late. The Coelophysis then accelerated away down the riverbank. In the morning, the Thrinaxodon burrow was under siege by several Coelophysis. The male Thrinaxodon returned to flush out the attackers but his attempts were futile. As he left, the Coelophysis began to dig up the burrow. Despite several attempts to chase away the dinosaurs during the night, the Coelophysis kept on reappearing. In the morning, as the Thrinaxodon pair seeked refuge, the Coelophysis were surprised by their exit. One large female attempted to pursue the pair but the male Thrinaxodon attacked her. The rest of the Coelophysis continued to dig at the burrow again.'' During the height of the dry season, the forest around the river was slowly filling with Coelophysis and as a result, they became pack hunters. One finds a dying Postosuchus. He was then joined by 40 to 50 other Coelophysis who then surrounded the Postosuchus. The Postosuchus lunged at a female Coelophysis and managed to catch its foot. It then pinned the Coelophysis with its front claws and severed her neck. As the Postosuchus attempted to protect its shoulders, the rest of the Coelophysis dragged away the dead female and then devoured her. As the Postosuchus' movements became less and less frequent, the Coelophysis climbed on top of it and feasted on its corpse from the inside out. A lone Coelophysis was later seen overlooking a whip scorpion who was laying her eggs. The Coelophysis then attacked her but she pulled back into a Placerias skull. The 'Coelophysis'' got too close and the scorpion sprayed a cloud of acid onto his face. The Coelophysis fell back, scratching at his nostrils which were burning as a result of the acid. The Coelophysis persisted in attacking again and was rewarded with another spray of acid. Irritated and in pain, the Coelophysis once again attacked the whip scorpion and ate her. Its efforts were hardly worth it. Errors *There is no evidence that Coelophysis was a cannibal. The bones found in the famous specimen's stomach is now believed to that of a small species of crocodilian. 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